(l-r) Signwave GM Linda Sultmann, Signwave Newtown owner Dean Rowland and Fastsigns VP Mark Jameson at Signwave Newtown in Marrickville, NSW
An article by Grahame Osborne at Print 21
Signage and graphics franchise company Signwave Australia says its co-branding strategy has helped to push the number of its Australian centres to 17, with two new businesses opening this year in Perth and Adelaide.
“I’m very impressed with the expansion of the Signwave business in Australia,” says Mark Jameson, executive vice president of Dallas-based parent company Fastsigns International, who’s in Australia to visit local Signwave businesses with Signwave Australia GM Linda Sultmann.
“Our co-branding strategy allows printers and other related business to keep their own brand and bolt on, if you will, the Signwave brand, which supports their expansion into other areas like wide format, where we can drive customers to them. It’s the best of both worlds.
“Signage is a big opportunity for print professionals who want to bolster their businesses in the wake of ongoing concerns for the industry; to convert or co-brand as a signage company opens up more avenues for profit.”
Signwave now has 17 centres throughout Australia, with new franchises opening this year in Adelaide and Perth. 40 percent of Signwave centres have exceeded $1 million in sales.
Signwave Osborne Park, Perth. (From right): Linda Sultmann (GM Signwave) and Mark Jameson (VP Fastsigns), with owner Barry Boyd and staff member Lachlan Menzies.
“We have been marketing our co-branding strategy directly to the print industry and that’s how we came by the owner of our new Adelaide centre,” says Sultmann.
“One of the beautiful things about Fastsigns is that they take a big picture strategic view and are able to provide that support to our local centres. For instance, the new POS system developed by Fastsigns has been rolled out across our network and we’ve been able to move to a completely paperless workflow system that has improved communication with clients and increased efficiency in production. Sales are doing very well, up 7.5 percent in Australia in the past year.”
“I’m very impressed with the leap forward that Linda and her team have achieved and I’m looking forward to meeting the new owners in Adelaide and Perth while I’m here,” says Jameson.
Sultmann says the Adelaide centre filled a gap in Signwave’s national network and the company is now focused on the Brisbane and Gold Coast markets. “There are also excellent opportunities available in Sydney and Melbourne,” she says.